Favorite Things In My Town Link Par-tay and A Method Giveaway!

Welcome to the {Favorite Things in My Town Link Par-tay} hosted by Centsational Girl.  We recently moved to Decatur, Texas back in March of this year.

WOW! It's been 5 months in our new home!

We've already found some really neat places to visit here in our town.  Mostly eating establishments and places of history is what we are attracted to, but let me tell you there are lots of neat facts I've found via Wikipedia and a few other sites while doing my research for this post.  I'm glad I've joined this party, thank you Kate!

First up is our lovely old courthouse. I just love to see old courthouses. They are just so grand and prestigious and proud...aren't they? Ours was getting a much needed touch up of paint around the windows and doors the day we were by to snap pictures.

Designed by architect J. Riely Gordon and constructed by John A. White,1896 in the Romanesque Revival style.  It is constructed primarily of pink granite from the Llano quarries in Burnet Texas, boasting Vermont marble floors, original woodwork and beautiful iron staircases on the interior.

Next we have the Woody Cabin, located on the grounds of the Wise County Heritage Museum.  It's kind of a fun little "check me out"!  I can just imagine how they lived way back when this cabin was built new. Peeking in the tiny peep site you see there on the left front.....I'm not seeing much room for my craft room in there!

The cabin was moved from its original site to the museum grounds in October 2006.  Tennessee pioneer Sam Woody (1826-1920) migrated to Texas in the 1840s and then brought his family to Wise County in 1854. This cabin, originally located near Deep Creek, was the first dwelling in the area. Read more HERE.

And sitting right out in front of the tiny little Woody cabin is the Wise County Heritage Museum.  I love grand old buildings.....love 'em!

The grandiose building that sits at the south end of Trinity Street in Decatur is deceptively quiet.  Once the home of Decatur Baptist College, it is now the Wise County Heritage Museum owned by the Wise County Historical Society, Inc.

We have been through this museum {all 3 floors} and though it was a bit hot that day, we enjoyed seeing all the very, very old items that people have so generously donated for us to remember our past by. The auditorium looks as if it's seen some really fun productions. You can read more HERE.

This is Sweetie Pies Ribeyes.  I just recently ate there for the very first time and let me tell you what....."you don't wanna get none of that on the bill of your cap...cuz it'll make your tongue slap your brains out!" Oh, for all of you non-Texans, that means it was really good! :)

Sweetie Pie’s building was constructed in approximately 1884 and 1885. It burned some time between 1925 and 1950, reducing it from a 2-story rock building to a 1-story building with stucco. The stone walls are between 18” and 22” thick. Read more HERE.

Up next is one of my favorite places to grab a bite....South Beach Taco Factory.  The old building it sits in is the most awesome inside.  Lots of wood and still has the decorative ceiling tiles.

Their tacos are really yummy and their signature sauce is even yummier! You can read more HERE.

I've saved the best for last. I love looking at this little piece of history. This is the Texas Tourist Camp. Home of the Whistle Stop Cafe' and the Petrified Wood Station.  Local businessman E. F. Boydston (1888-1945) purchased this site, a former feed lot, in 1927 for $400. Read more HERE.

The Texas lunchroom was built in 1929 and renamed the Texas Cafe' in 1935. Today its known as The Whistle Stop Cafe' has once again become a hangout for locals.

It is really little inside, but the waitresses are friendly and the food is excellent! A true hometown place to eat some really good food!

The Petrified Wood Station is a work of art if you ask me.  The first time I saw it I thought it would be a fun place for a photo shoot, so we photographed my honey's old 1970 Ford F100.  Yeppers, that's my honey's toy sitting there!  Isn't she a beauty?

E.F. Boydston built a gas station in 1927. Eight years later he decided to cover its exterior with chunks of petrified wood. Read more HERE.

I love the old gas pumps sitting there.  They remind me of my Grandpa's little gas station in front of his rental store. I sure would love to have one of those!

Remember when Texaco signs looked like this....it was a very long time ago.  No gas here though, just excellent photo ops! Heehee!

I'll leave you with a fun picture that my honey created with the Color Splash App for iPhone.  I hope you've enjoyed my little tour today.  There is so much more to tell about my town of Decatur, Texas but we'll save that for another day.

Now for the giveaway information.  I have two (2) coupons for some free Method products! The very nice folks at Method mailed me two (2) coupons to giveaway to my Clover House readers.  {Thanks Meagan!}

{BTW...I am not being compensated in any way for advertising for them, I just really LOVE their products and wanted to share the love with my readers, so I wrote and asked for some coupons and Meagan was sweet enough to send me 2 coupons to share!}

Here's how YOU can win:

The PRIZE: (1) freebie coupon to (2) separate people

Leave a COMMENT here. {that's 1 entry}

Become a FOLLOWER of  Clover House if you'd like {that's another entry, leave a separate comment}

BLOG or FACEBOOK or TWEET about the giveaway, come back here and give me the link {that's one more entry, leave a separate comment}

IMPORTANT!

Please make sure you leave me a way to contact you if you WIN!  If you don't already have your email set up for an automatic reply, leave your email in your comment.

Good Luck!

Two (2) winners will be chosen by Random.org. Giveaway ends Saturday September 10th at midnight CST.  Winners will be announced on Sunday the 11th.

It doesn't have to be done all at once.  It is a slow process in the works! C-ya next time!
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